Fallen Angel
by The Spooky Mulder
Summary: COMPLETE Willow comes for a visit, and accidentally switches the 2nd season of Buffy Angel and the 4th season Angel! I don't own Angel or Buffy. COMPLETE
1. Chapter One

**Author's Note: **Yeah, this is a new story. I hope you like it! I've had the idea in my head for AGES. In fact, I have tried to write it once before. Needless to say, it was a dud. This came to me last night, so here goes! Enjoy! (PS- when it goes to "Sunnydale '98, it's between the episodes "What's My Line? Pt 2" and "Ted" in the 2nd season of Buffy.)

**Disclaimer: **I neither own the show "Angel" nor the show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".

Angel was in his room at the Hyperion Hotel, brooding. _I've been doing that a lot lately…_

His son Connor had recently come back sixteen years older than when he had disappeared in the portal to Quortoth. _He grew up in a hell dimension…_

Holtz, Angel's old enemy from centuries past, had kidnapped him and jumped into the portal. _He hates me…_

Angel's brooding session was broken when someone knocked on the door. "Angel?"

It was Cordelia. Cordelia Chase had known Angel since she was in high school.

Sighing, Angel heaved himself up and opened the door. _At least she knocked this time, _he thought dryly. Cordelia smiled. "You have a phone call downstairs," she told him.

Without saying a word, Angel walked past her and went downstairs.

"Tch," Cordelia said, following her boss down the hall.

"Angel here," Angel said into the phone.

"Angel? Hi!" the voice said. "This is Willow."

Angel frowned. "Willow. Hi."

After a few moments' silence Willow said, "Actually I just wanted to ask you a favor."

"Sure, Willow. Anything." Immediately after saying this Angel knew he would probably regret it.

"Great!" She sounded happy. "I'll just come on over, and we can…"

"Whoa. Willow, what is it I'm going to be doing, exactly?"

"Bye Angel!" With that the young witch hung up.

Angel slammed the phone down and gritted his teeth. Everything was annoying him today. He sulked back into the main lobby (he had taken the phone call in his office). "Who was it?" Cordy asked. "It sounded kind of like Willow Rosenberg…"

"It was."

Cordelia's eyes lit up. "What did she want? How is life in good ol' Sunnydale?"

Wesley walked in the room and raised his eyebrows. "'Good ol' Sunnydale'? Since when was it good?" he said.

"I was being nostalgic." Cordelia said huffily.

Angel shook his head and tried to hide his smile. He would die without his friends. Well, die mentally anyway. "She's coming here," he said. "I think I agreed to be her guinea-pig."

Two hours later Willow Rosenberg was at the front doors. "Hey guys!" she said cheerily.

"Willow!" Cordelia squealed, rushing forward to hug the witch. "How are you?"

Willow looked awkward and patted her shoulder, unsure of what to do. "Uh, hi Cordy," she said, glancing at Angel and Wesley. Angel looked amused, but didn't say anything. Wesley, however, said, "She's been 'nostalgic' of late."

Willow raised her eyebrows. "Riight."

In Angel's office, Willow was telling Angel every little tidbit of Buffy's life- that he actually didn't care about.

"-and then they made her invisible and she cut her hair. It was really cute. Then-"

"Willow!"

"Yeah?" Willow said, frowning at the interruption.

"That's all really…nice. What is it you want me to do?" Angel said. It's not like he didn't want to know about Buffy, he just wanted to know his fate more.

"Oh. Well, I want to test a new spell."

Angel groaned inwardly. He had never done it, but he knew time-travel wasn't easy. Or it wouldn't be, if it were possible. "How do you know it would work?" he asked.

Willow gave him the look. "I don't. That's why you're going to test it," she said pointedly.

It was night and all the lights in the hotel were turned off. Angel was sitting in the middle of a pentagram made of sticks and candles. Willow, Cordelia, Wesley, Fred, and Gunn were each at a point, holding hands. Willow had already spread the magic sand around the pentagram and was now concentrating with her eyes closed. After five minutes of silence Cordelia said, "Um, isn't something supposed to happen?"

"Shhh!" Willow hissed.

After a few more seconds of quiet, Willow started chanting the spell.

Angel was having second thoughts, but he knew it would be useless to say anything. Willow had already begun, and nothing would stop her now.

An encasing of bright greenish purple light encased Angel, and he felt a tingling sensation spread through his body. He felt himself being torn backwards through time.

Sunnydale, California 1998 

Angel woke up in a room that was strange to him, but familiar at the same time. _Where am I?_ he thought. It took him a minute, but he soon realized that he was at his small, concrete apartment in Sunnydale. The one he hadn't lived at since…_Since Buffy and I…_

L.A., present times 

"Did it work?" Willow asked, breaking the hand-connection with Cordelia and Wesley. Angel was slumped over in the center of the pentagram. "I don't know," Cordy said. Without another word she reached over and poked Angel. Hard. He sat up lightening fast and said, "Ow!". He looked around at everyone, and his expression slowly went from slightly confused to plain scared. He frowned at Wesley, Gunn, and Fred as if he didn't recognize them, but he visibly relaxed when he saw Willow and Cordelia.

"Willow," he said. "Where are we?"

It was Willow's turn to frown. "We're at the hotel," she said.

"What hotel?" Angel asked. Before Willow could register and reply he added, "When did you cut your hair? I like it."

"Angel, my hair's been like this for a while."

Angel turned to Cordelia. "And you! I can't believe you'd cut _your_ hair."

Cordelia looked hurt by this comment. "You say that in a very condescending tone," she said, sounding indignant.

Ignoring the pointless hair discussion, Willow and Wesley were going over what could have gone wrong with the spell. Cutting Cordelia off, Willow turned to Angel and said, "What was happening right before you woke up here?"

Angel's brow creased in thought. "Kendra, that other Slayer, was leaving town."

Willow felt as if her eyes were about to pop out of her skull. "Willow, I don't understand." Angel said. "Who are they?" He pointed at Wesley, Gunn, and Fred.

"Willow, what's happened?" Wesley whispered, not wanting Angel to overhear.

"I think we accidentally switched past-Angel with our Angel."


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: Hey! Thanks for all the reviews! On with the story!**

**

* * *

**

**Fallen Angel Chapter Two**

Angel was walking around his old apartment getting dressed. All he could think about was how much he wanted to shout at Willow. Unfortunately if he went to indulge in that need, he would be shouting at this Willow, who had nothing to do with his predicament. Angel was behind the portable wall when the door opened. 

"Angel?" Buffy said tentatively as she entered the apartment.

Angel felt his entire body jerk. He wasn't used to being in the past yet, and Buffy barging in didn't help the situation. Pulling his shirt on, he stepped from behind the wall to face Buffy. "Hey," he said.

She visibly relaxed when she saw him. "Hey," she replied.

Angel didn't know what to say. He had been through everything with Buffy, but here she was in front of him, not knowing what was to happen. He felt his heart break all over again. _But maybe I could…avoid it. Tell her about the curse…No! That would be wrong. I don't know what the consequences would be. _

Angel was pulled out of his thoughts by Buffy saying, "So, you aren't planning any surprise birthday parties or anything? 'Cause I don't know if…"

Smiling, Angel cut her off. "Of course not. But that doesn't mean is has to be a boring birthday."

Buffy smiled. "Yep. Good 'ol seventeenth birthday," she said. Angel tried to smile. He really did. But, to him Buffy's 17th birthday meant sorrow and loss. Like, the loss of his soul.

"Well, I'm gonna head to school. Don't wanna be late again. Snyde-man is after my tail," Buffy said, turning to leave. Angel knew he shouldn't, but knowing that he could made him want to. He grabbed Buffy by the arm and kissed her. "Hmm," she said. "Maybe I should go to school more often."

Angel just smiled as she left. He knew he could never have her, but that didn't mean that after all this time he didn't still love her. _Maybe, just for a few days, I can be with her. Live like that again…God I missed these times. _

**At the Hyperion, Present times**

Angel was sitting in the lobby, staring at everyone, who was staring at him. "Willow, I don't understand. Who are these people?" he asked. He really didn't know why he was at a hotel with Willow and Cordelia, but he didn't know who these other people were. They were starting to freak him out.

Willow looked at Wesley. "Maybe you should leave this to me and Cordy," she said.

Wesley looked at Angel's confused expression. "Certainly," he said, motioning for Gunn and Fred to follow him out of the lobby.

Willow noticed Angel relax after the three left the room. _I had forgotten how…shy he was, _she thought.

Cordelia stood up. "Okay, are you going to tell me what's going on?" she demanded.

Willow nodded. "Yeah. Well, my spell had…weird results."

Angel frowned. "Weird results?" he asked, looked from Willow to Cordelia.

Cordelia put her hands on her hips. "Results like what?" she asked.

"Our Angel and past Angel switched places," Willow said, looking at Angel to see his reaction.

"I'm in the future?" he asked. Willow nodded. "How far in the future?"

"I'm guessing…four years?" Willow said, not entirely sure when this Angel was from.

Angel stared blankly at the wall for a full minute. "That's…weird," he said.

"Well, now that that's taken care of," Cordelia said. Willow turned to stare at Cordelia.

"What? Just cause Angel's from the past, that doesn't mean we have to pay extra attention to him."

"Where's Buffy?" Angel asked out of nowhere. Both Willow and Cordelia turned to gawk at him. "Why am I with you, and not Buffy?" he asked again.

Cordelia's mouth dropped. "Willow," she said quietly. "What's the last thing he remembers?"  
Willow grinned sheepishly. "About that…"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's so short. My muse is on a vacation. **


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N: Yeah. That ending was kind of a cliffie. Sorry. I'm loaded up on Dr. Pepper…sorry if it's weird.**

**Note:_ italics equal thought_**

**_At the Hyperion_**

Cordelia's reaction to Willow's news was out of character for the ex-cheerleader. She laughed. When Willow seemed taken aback by her reaction, Cordelia explained. "Our Angel is back in 1998, while the Angel sitting in front of me doesn't even remember getting groiny with Buffy and losing his soul. The reason I am laughing is that….this is the irony that is our life."

Willow stared at Cordelia. Then she laughed. "You're right…" she choked out. "The fact that this is normal for us…is funny!"

Angel, by this time, had left. He sneaked past Willow and Cordelia and went out the double doors of the hotel. He didn't know what had really happened, but he did know one thing. He had to find Buffy. _Wherever she is, she'll make it right. _

Discovering that he was in Los Angeles, Angel made his way to the bus station. He had visited L.A. before, but he didn't think about that too long. He walked up to the clerk who was unfortunate enough to have the job of selling tickets.

"One way ticket to Sunnydale," he said. The man stared at Angel for a second, then handed him a ticket.

Angel reached in his pocket to hand the money to him, but he paused when he saw the look on the man's face. It looked as if the man had seen Hannibal Lecter, Freddy Krueger, and Jason, all standing behind Angel. Therefore, Angel turned around.

To his bewilderment, the only thing or person behind him was a boy about seventeen or eighteen. He had medium brown hair, which appeared to be a bowl cut. His eyes were just as dark, and full of anger. Angel didn't care about any of that. He just wanted to get to Buffy. He smiled at the kid, even though it had no warmth to it. "Excuse me," he said, making to walk past him.

Connor frowned. It was as if Angel didn't recognize him. He sidestepped back in front of Angel to block his path.

Angel's smile turned icy. "Excuse me," he repeated more commandingly.

When Connor once again refused, Angel had to resort to force. "Look, kid," he began. "I don't wanna hurt you; I just wanna go to Sunnydale. Now step aside."

Connor frowned. "Why do you want to go there?" he blurted.

Angel scowled. "It's really none of your business," he growled. In the blink of an eye, he was past Connor and on the bus.

_I think this calls for a visit to the hotel, _Connor thought.

From a distance, a certain lawyer was smiling to herself. _The bosses are gonna like this, _Lilah Morgan thought wickedly.

**A/N: Sorry this is so short. Apparently my muse is still on vacation in the Bahamas. Drat. Well, at least it's something! What do ya think? R&R, please! How else shall I retain my beauty for all of eternity? Um…ignore that. Anyway, I have to read Frankenstein for English. Farewell, dear readers!!!  
PS- I don't own Hannibal Lecter, Freddy Krueger, or Jason. **


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N: Hey! I've been SWAMPED in schoolwork. Ick. Finals are on Thursday and Friday, then CHRISTMAS VACATION! If you are reading this and you don't celebrate Christmas, then Happy Holidays! Whatever they may be. Thank you for the reviews! I love them all!**

**PS- I may have the Angel/Buffy season continuation messed up; I'm slightly confused on how the seasons work. So, bear with me! ;P The Spooky Mulder**

Lilah Morgan worked for the law firm Wolfram and Hart. She wouldn't go as far as calling it _evil, _but it certainly wasn't entirely _legal._ She smiled to herself as she entered the elevator. She had just witnessed something that could get them Angel. He didn't recognize his own son. _This could work, _she thought.

When the elevator reached her floor, she exited it and headed toward her office. Ever since Lindsey had gone, Lilah had been top notch. They may have kept each other on their toes, but Lilah found she was even better without the annoying Lindsey.

Smiling at her brilliance, Lilah put her hand on the doorknob.

"Gah!" she screamed, leaping back like she had touched a snake. Her doorknob was searing hot.

She glanced around to see if anyone had noticed her girly moment, but no one was around.

"Get a grip, Lilah," she muttered. She slowly put her hand back on the doorknob.

Nothing. It was room temperature. Shaking her head, Lilah entered her dark office.

Sunnydale, CA, 1998 

Angel had gone through the day reading. He had almost forgotten how much he used to read. He read until three, which was when Buffy was going to come over.

He sat on his bed, staring at his clock. Spike would call it "brooding", but Angel was actually thinking. _Telling her would change everything. Connor probably wouldn't exist, all of the Scoobies wouldn't be nervous around me, Faith might have turned out different, I would never have gone to Hell, Buffy would never end up with Spike…_

That last thought did it for him. He was telling her. So what if things changed? The world be damned. He just wanted to be with Buffy.

_That's it,_ he thought. _I'm telling her. _

En Route to Sunnydale, present times 

Angel could tell that he was close to Sunnydale. He could smell Buffy, even from this far. His smell was usually really good, but Buffy being the Slayer, and his soul mate just added to it.

The bus reached the Sunnydale Station at half past eleven. Angel stepped off the bus and immediately smelled Spike. Spike's scent was everywhere, and it was mingled with Buffy's. A tiny growl escaped Angel's throat. He thought that Spike had come back without his knowledge and had been fighting Buffy; it never occurred to him that they were _together. _As far as he knew, he and Buffy were together and happy. He didn't even remember her seventeenth birthday, because to him it hadn't happened yet.

Angel headed straight for Buffy's house. He knew he probably shouldn't because Joyce would ask questions, but at the moment he only cared about Buffy's safety.

He reached the front door, but didn't think Spike was there. Deciding that no matter what, he couldn't burst in, he rang the doorbell.

Dawn answered. She was still smiling from something Xander had said, and her face didn't change when she saw Angel.

When he said nothing, she slowly frowned. "Angel?" she said, extremely confused.

"Dawn," he said. "Is Buffy here? I just wanted to see if she was…I mean, I had this feeling that…"

Dawn hadn't seen Angel this, well, _shy_ in a long time. He used to remind her of an abused puppy, before he lost his soul. _The first time, that is,_ she added dryly.

"Is something wrong, Dawnie?" Buffy asked, walking up behind Dawn. She had gotten worried when it took Dawn so long to answer the door.

Buffy looked mildly surprised at Angel's appearance, but the feeling passed quickly.  
"Hey," she said.

At that one syllable word, Angel felt all of his troubles slip away. "Buffy," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "Come in," Buffy said, slightly worried about Angel.

Gulping, Angel followed.

At the Hyperion Hotel 

Cordelia and Willow had long since finished their giggle-fit. They were now talking about, as Cordy put it, "The Good 'ol Bad Days".

Wesley strode in, a dusty old tome in his hands. "I think I've found-Where's Angel?"

Cordelia and Willow stopped their conversation to notice that Angel was in fact gone.

"Did you see him leave?" Cordelia asked Willow. Willow shrugged and looked at Wesley apologetically. "He must have slipped out?" she asked more than said, sounding very much like her high school-self.

"But where would he go?" Wesley asked, getting the Watcher Don't-Bother-Me-I'm-Thinking look. Willow and Cordy looked at each other. "Buffy," they said in unison.

**A/N: Ha! A semi-cliffhanger! laughs evilly So, anyway. I have reasons for leaving it here. One: Homework! Two:_ Angel_ is on right now. Three: My muse decided to get thirsty, and went to a bar. In Budapest! Well, anyway. Thanks for reading! Now review! (my muse _can_ get dangerous sometimes…)**


	5. Chapter Five

**Author's Note: I'm so terribly sorry about this long wait! If I make it extra long will you forgive me? It's just that I've had absolutely NO inspiration for this story. But, here I go! Enjoy!**

_Sunnydale, 1998…_

Angel was on the brink of running outside to see what was taking Buffy so long when she came through the door, panting slightly. "Sorry….I'm….so….late," she panted.

He raised an eyebrow. "Run into trouble?" he asked.

Flopping down on Angel's bed she replied, "Yeah, trouble spelled 'Giles'."

Angel waited for her to continue.

"He wanted me to stay and train some more, but I told him that I was 'busy with something social'".

Angel smiled. "Well, it's not technically a lie, anyway," he said jokingly. Buffy returned the smile. "Yeah," she said.

After a minute or so of enjoying the happy moment Angel's face suddenly turned serious, as did his tone of voice. "Buffy, there's something I need to tell you."

_Sunnydale, present times…_

"Angel, what is it?" Buffy asked after she, Dawn, Angel, and Xander had sat down in the living room.

Angel took a deep breath even though he didn't really need one. "I woke up in this strange hotel, and the only people I recognized were Willow and Cordelia, but they were acting funny, and Willow cut her hair, and there was some strange guy named Wesley, and I don't know who he was, but some kid tried to mug me, not like I couldn't have taken him, but he was creepy, and I was so confused, so I came back home."

Everyone stared. "Wow," Xander said. "I think that's the most I've ever heard you say at once."

Buffy blinked. "Angel, what are you saying?" she asked.

"I think someone did something to me," he replied. "The last thing I remember is that you were saying goodbye to that other Slayer, Kendra. Then I woke up in some hotel in L.A."

No one made a sound. It was so quiet that they could hear water dripping in the basement.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked again.

Angel looked like he wanted to cry. "Buffy," he said. "I don't know what's going on. I just know what I told you. And who the hell is Wesley?"

_The Hyperion Hotel, present times_

Connor went to the hotel, since they would know what was going on with Angel.

He opened the doors and looked around. Cordelia and some redhead were getting their coats and looked like they were going to leave. Connor couldn't see Wesley, but he knew that he was in the office looking through books. Gunn and Fred were no where to be seen.

"Hey," he said.

Cordelia and the redhead stopped. "Connor, hi," Cordelia said, giving a 'oh no not now' look to the redhead.

"Connor…" Willow said, confused for a second. Then it hit her. "Oh! He's Angel's….oh."

Connor stared at Willow. "Who are you?" he asked coldly.

"Oh, I'm Willow. I'm part of Buffy's gang," she said, ignoring the boy's cold tone.

By the time Willow was finished with her sentence Connor had turned his attention to Cordelia.

"What's wrong with Angelus?" he asked.

Willow frowned. "It's Angel."

Connor just stared at her.

"Ahem," Cordelia said. "He's not himself right now, well, yes he is, but he's a different self so…" She trailed off, knowing how crazy she just sounded.

Connor stared blankly at her.

Willow cleared her throat. "What Cordy means to say is, a spell I did went wrong and it replaced the Angel from 1998 with the Angel from now," she said.

Willow had expected Connor to understand and be happy that she could explain it, but all he said was, "Are you a demon?"

Willow looked flabbergasted. "Ex-excuse me?" she said.

"You said you did a spell. Are you a demon?" The whole time Connor's face was emotionless.

"No, I'm a witch," Willow said.

Connor shrugged. "Whatever." With that, he turned around and was gone.

"Nice kid, huh?" Cordelia said.

Willow stared at her.

Sunnydale, present times… 

Xander and Dawn were in the kitchen, calling Willow. Dawn was upset that she had been kicked out of the living room. "Why do I have to help you call Willow? It's not like you can't push buttons," she said angrily.

Xander held his hand up. "That has yet to be proven," he said.

Dawn rolled her eyes.

Buffy was sitting with Angel in the living room, thoughts and memories swimming in her head. _If he's telling the truth, the he doesn't know any of the stuff he's put me through…_

"Angel, I don't know what to say," she said. When he just sat there, staring at her, she realized how quiet and withdrawn he used to be. _Like a sad, lost puppy…_

After thinking that Buffy shuddered, having reminded herself of Drusilla.

"Buffy, I don't know what's going on," he finally said.

"Well," she started, "apparently you've been sent to the future."

"Everything's so different," Angel said, looking quite sad. "You seem different."

Buffy looked at her hands. "I am different, Angel. We're different. So many things have happened that you don't know about."

Angel was reluctant to ask, and he knew Buffy might not answer, but he did anyway.

"What has happened?"

Buffy froze. She was dreading him asking that. She couldn't decide if it would change too much, to tell him what went on in their relationship.

_On the one hand, we could avoid all of the bad stuff because he would know about it when he goes back, _she thought. _But on the other hand, it could change too much. Maybe if he stayed here in this time, I could have the old Angel back, before I had to kill him…_

At this thought, Buffy began to get nostalgic. She didn't realize how much she missed the old days, back when she and the gang were in high school.

Maybe I should just tell him… 

**A/N: Sorry about the semi-cliffhanger. I'm experiencing major Writer's Block. I'm also sorry about the length. Next chapter will be longer, I promise! But, it will most likely be a while before I get it up. Thank you all who review and have been waiting for this! It means so much to me.**

**Here is a definition for **nostalgia: a bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.


	6. Chapter Six

NEW Author's Note: Yes, this is a new chapter! Sort of! I revised some things. For a longer explanation, read the A/N at the bottom.

**A/N: Okay, hopefully this chapter will be longer. Thanks for reading! Please review! PS- Sorry to Dawn fans, but I just really don't like her. **

Sunnydale 1998… 

"What do you need to tell me?" Buffy asked, turning to look at Angel.

_There's no going back now. I have to tell her. _

"Buffy, I'm from the future." _There. I said it. _

Buffy's face remained expressionless for almost a full minute, then she burst out in hysterical laughter. "You've…got…to be…kidding…me!" she gasped, clutching her side. Angel frowned. "Okay, that may have come out wrong, but it's true."

Buffy stopped laughing long enough to answer. "Angel, if anything you're from the past."

Angel shook his head. "If that were the case, you might be dead right now."

That sobered Buffy up.

"Angel- are you serious?" she asked. Angel nodded. Buffy sat down on his bed. "Would you care to elaborate?"

"In my time, about four years in the future, Willow came to test a spell on me." Angel began. Buffy frowned. "Came to you? You aren't in Sunnydale in the future?"

Angel shook his head. "I'll get to that. She came to test this spell, and it backfired," he continued. Buffy interrupted his narrative again. "Wait- Willow does spells in the future? Wow."

Angel was beginning to get agitated. He had forgotten how Buffy used to have a short attention span. _It's like she has ADD, _he thought. "Yes. Anyway- it switched the Angel from this time with me." He paused after saying this part, expecting Buffy to make a comment. "Now you can ask questions," he added.

"So, you're from the future. Willow is a witch, you're not in Sunnydale, and…" she trailed off.

"And?"

"Can you tell me more?" she asked. Buffy stood up and began to pace around the room. "I mean, you know everything that will happen to me in the next four years…"

Angel was silent; he knew she was just thinking aloud. Some of the questions she was asking he knew she wouldn't want answered. She seemed to be finished.

"So, which do you really want to know the answers to?" Angel asked.

Buffy took a breath. "Why are you in a different town…and not with me?"

_Crap! She asked the hard one!_

"Buffy, you may not want to know. It could change history – and let me tell you- you may not want to know." Angel said, suddenly realizing that this Buffy would be heartbroken to know that in a few days she was supposed to cause him to lose his soul.

Buffy looked him directly in the eye. "Angel. I want you to tell me."

_Damn. _

Angel looked at his hands. "Okay. It's a long story, but I'll start from the beginning. When Darla and I were in Romania, she gave me a gypsy to…eat. She was a princess of sorts, and the gypsies were upset. The elders of the tribe cursed me with a soul. Another part of the curse, that I'm not supposed to learn until a few days from now, is that if I experience one moment of true happiness, I'll lose that soul I was cursed with. I'll become Angelus again." He paused to let this sink in. Buffy remained silent, thinking about what he just said. "So-so you're saying that in a few days you're going to lose your soul?"

Angel nodded. "Why?" Buffy asked.

"The reason I'm having second thoughts about telling you is that none of this has happened yet in your time, Buffy. We could be changing things that shouldn't change. If I tell you this, then it can be prevented, because the other me that I switched with doesn't know about this part of the curse. It's supposed to happen."

Buffy looked at Angel for a long time. "Angel," she said. "I have to know. How can you be sure that it's not supposed to be prevented? Maybe you're being given a second chance."

"All right," Angel said. "I'll tell you this, but Buffy, you have to promise. You can't tell anyone else what I tell you. I know things, Buffy. Not just what will happen to me in the future, but you and your friends as well. Our futures aren't the only ones at risk. Giles, Xander, Willow- all of them, and ones you haven't even met yet. Even Spike."

Buffy just nodded.

"On your seventeenth birthday, you and I have to do something at the docks. Spike's lackeys intercept us and we have to come back here. We, uh, get a little…intimate."

Buffy's eyebrows shot up. "How intimate?"

Angel raised his eyebrows in return.

"And that's-that's your moment of true happiness?" she said. Angel nodded. "I lose my soul, and the things I do…Buffy, I really don't want that to happen, but I'm not sure-"

Buffy held her hand up. "Angel, if whatever happens tears us apart, you don't even need to tell me. Just make sure it doesn't happen. You're…different than the Angel from this time. You talk a lot more. But that's not the point- you're right about the time line. I don't want that to happen anymore than you do, but we can't change what happened. Just promise me that the future is-tolerable. If you tell me it's okay, then it must be."

Angel felt his heart break. Here Buffy was, not even seventeen yet, making a very adult decision. "Buffy-" his voice cracked a bit- "I wish it didn't- Giles will be able to find a spell to switch us back. But before we go talk to him, I want to tell you a story. Three years from now, when I'm in L.A., you come to visit. I get exposed to a demon's blood, and it turns me into a human-"

Angel proceeded to tell Buffy of the day where he became human and they had everything they ever wanted. He then told her that she wouldn't remember it afterwards, but he had wanted to give her the knowledge that she would have that one day- that for one day they would be together with no consequences.

_Sunnydale, present times…_

"Angel, you lose your-" Buffy was in the middle of telling everything to Angel when Xander came running in. "Buffy! Don't say anything!" he said, waving his arms around like a moron. "I just talked to Willow. She said that if you tell him anything there's a chance he might remember when we send him back."

Buffy's mouth was still open. She closed it. "Is that such a bad thing, Xander?" she asked.

This time Xander's mouth was open. "You're kidding, right? You can't be serious."

Buffy stared at him without even blinking.

"Okay, so maybe not. But Willow is on her way."

Buffy looked sad at this news, but she knew that it had to happen. She smiled at Angel. "So Willow can probably send you back," she said.

Angel frowned. "Okay, but I have one more question."

Buffy nodded. "Sure."

"Who was that kid I ran into on the way here?"

Buffy frowned. _Kid?_ "What kid? What did he look like?"

Angel shrugged. "He acted like I should know him. He was actually kind of annoying."

Buffy glanced at Xander. They were both thinking the same thing. _Crap! He met Connor!_

"Yeah, it's a really funny story-" Buffy said, looking back at Angel. He looked at her expectantly. Buffy took a deep breath. "Well, he's your son."

Angel's eyebrows shot up. "Buffy, did you hit your head?" he asked.

Buffy was getting slightly annoyed. "No. I'm serious. No one can figure out how it was possible. Not even now, and he was born like, two years ago."

"Then why the hell does he look like a teenager?"

Buffy sighed. "Okay, I'll try to tell the story as best I can, because you didn't exactly tell me right after it happened." She paused to collect her thoughts, noticing the realization on Angel's face that the one child he would ever have wasn't with her. "Basically, this evil law firm brought Darla back to life, and then had her drive you crazy through dreams. When they found out she was dying from the same disease as before the Master made her a vampire, they had Drusilla come back and re-vamp her. This drove you even more over the edge, so you set them on fire."

Angel seemed…amused so far. Buffy continued. "That didn't do the trick, and one night Darla came to you. You thought it was what you wanted, but…anyway, you two….yeah. So, in the morning she realized you still had a soul and you kicked her out. Months later she came back, almost ready to pop."

Angel scratched the back of his head. "I did that? With Darla? Who was brought back to life, only to be turned again- by Drusilla."

Buffy nodded. "That's what you told me."

"So, is Darla still around?" Angel asked. Buffy couldn't read the expression on his face, but he almost seemed happy that she might be the living dead again.

Buffy shook her head. "No. There's more to the story. When Connor was inside her, they shared his soul. She didn't want to have him leave, only to make her evil again. When she went into contractions it didn't look like Connor would survive. She staked herself, and that allowed Connor to live." Buffy paused again to let that sink in.

Angel looked slightly shocked. "She actually did that?"

"Yeah."

Angel nodded. "Okay, but that still doesn't explain why he's a teenager."

"Oh yeah. Well, this demon named Sahjhan brought Holtz back, and he kidnapped Connor to some hell dimension named Quortoth. He came back a teenager because the time there moved differently."

Angel rubbed his temples. "I think I have a headache," he said.

"Yeah, I bet," Buffy said. "I'm sorry I had to tell you."

"No," Angel replied. "I'm glad it was you. But maybe Willow should find a way to erase my memory. Whatever's supposed to happen, I'm sure I don't need to know about Connor too."

Buffy swallowed. "Yeah." She glanced at Xander, who knew what she was thinking. He would probably say, "You can't tell him about the perfect happiness thing- it would be wrong". Buffy still didn't know if she liked the way things were. So what if stuff changed? She hated thinking this, but maybe if Angel had never lost his soul Dawn would never have come.

"So, when is Willow coming?" Angel asked. Buffy shrugged. "Xander said she's on her way."

On the streets of Los Angeles… 

Lilah had permission from the Senior Partners to look into the new deal with Angel. She was in her limo searching for Connor. _Maybe we can get the kid on our side, and then Angel will soon follow, _she thought.

After searching for half an hour Lilah saw Connor on the sidewalk, walking slowly.

She knocked on the divider and had the driver pull over. Lilah rolled the window down. "Hey, kid. Heard about Angel. Want to talk about it?" she said, feigning politeness.

Connor stopped walking so he could look at this strange woman properly. After looking her up and down he said, "No." Connor continued walking.

Lilah was angered, but not surprised at Connor's abrupt answer. She knew the kid wouldn't be that easy to break. She smiled her waspish lawyer smile. Time for the second approach; the one she personally preferred. "I know how you can take advantage of the situation," she called.

Hook, line, and sinker.

Connor stopped walking once again. He walked over to the limo, opened the door, and waited for Lilah to scoot over. When she did, he got in and closed the door behind him. "What?"

Lilah quirked an eyebrow. "You sure don't beat around the bush, do you?" she said.

Connor stared.

Lilah cleared her throat. "Right. Well, the Angel that's currently here doesn't know who you are. You can change anything you want about him right now, and then he'd be different now."

Connor narrowed his eyes. "Who says it would work? You could just be trying to trap me."

"Oh, please. Don't flatter yourself. We just want Angel…on our side. You're really just a tool to get to him," Lilah said, pulling out her compact mirror and checking her perfect makeup.

She turned to glance at Connor, but he was gone.

The Hyperion Hotel, present times… 

Wesley had just said goodbye to Willow when he found the spell. "Eureka!" he said, leaping up from the floor where he had been sitting.

In another room, Gunn shook his head. "He still actually says 'eureka'."

Wesley phoned Sunnydale, and wasn't surprised when Buffy answered the phone. Willow would most certainly not be back yet. "Hello, Summers residence," Buffy said. Wesley could tell from her voice that something was bothering the young Slayer. It was probably the fact that the Angel before her seventeenth birthday was sitting in front of her, not knowing what horrors were to happen.

"Hello, Buffy. This is Wesley."

Buffy was surprised, but not unhappy to hear from him. "Hi, Wes. Why with the calling so soon?" she asked. After all, they had just heard from him about Willow coming back.

"I've found the spell. I'm sure Giles has it in one of his books, so I'll just tell you the name and then Willow can perform it."

"Okay, sure." Buffy reached over the counter and grabbed a pad of paper and a pen. Wesley said some weird Latin name and she had to have him spell it out. "Okay, thanks Wesley. We'll get right on it."

Wesley hung up. "Poor girl," he said to no one in particular.

Sunnydale, 1998… 

Going back to The Library brought back so many memories for Angel. So much had happened to him during Buffy's high school years. The Hellmouth had never been boring, that was for sure.

Buffy had insisted they tell Giles so he could help get Angel back. Angel had finally agreed to go.

"Good Lord," was all Giles had said when they told him. He had taken his glasses off to wipe them. Angel felt himself grinning. Everyone was there; Willow, Giles, Buffy, Cordelia, Oz…even Xander.

"So, you're from the future." Oz said. Oz never really asked questions; they always sounded more like statements. Angel nodded. "Yep. The future."

Willow was walking around him in circles, poking every inch of his body that she could without embarrassing herself. "But you look and sound exactly the same!" she said.

Angel gave her a look. "Yeah, that tends to be the case when you're a vampire."

Willow grinned sheepishly. "Oh yeah."

_She's the one that changed the most, _Angel thought, thinking of all the things that used to define Willow, things that no longer did.

"So, what am I like in the future? I'm still rich, right?" Cordelia asked bluntly.

Angel almost told her that she became poor and fell for a half-demon when Giles gave him a look that said, "Anything you say could compromise history's time line."

Angel shrugged instead. "You'll just have to find out."

"We'll begin searching at once," Giles said, placing a pile of old, musty books on the table. Xander groaned. "How about I get some pizza?" he said, hoping his usual escape route worked more than once a week.

"I'm starved," Cordelia said, not even looking up from the tome she was flipping through. "And while you're at it, get me a non-fat milkshake. Make sure they don't add too much sugar. Oh, and I could use some moist wipes in case it spills. Which it better not."

Xander rolled his eyes, but left without comment. Angel laughed out loud thinking about Cordelia and how if she could see her past self, she'd probably slap her.

"What is so funny?" Cordy asked, seemingly hurt.

Angel stopped laughing. "You just-Cordy, you're just you."

Everyone thought this was weird. They were so used to Angel being reclusive and silent. Whenever he did hang around, you usually had to beat a sentence out of him. Also, he had never called Cordelia "Cordy" before.

Sunnydale, present times… 

Willow had returned and soon found out that Wesley found the counter spell. "Good, we should get started then."

In a few minutes, after commanding everyone on what to do, Willow had Angel sitting in a circle like before. She, Giles, Buffy, Xander, and Dawn were around him just like when Willow had done the first spell. "Basically, what we're doing is exchanging his souls. It's not difficult; all you need to do is sit still and let me do the talking."

Everyone nodded. Willow was about to begin when Buffy interrupted. "Will, what about the memory spell?"

"Oh yeah! Angel, I'll have to knock you unconscious afterward so you don't go through it all again." Willow said. She was almost finished when Angel shouted, "Wait!" There was silence as everyone stared at him, waiting for an explanation. He swallowed. "Buffy, what happened that caused us to drift apart? I want to know." The silence grew uncomfortable as everyone turned to look at Buffy. "Well, I don't think it matters-"

Angel was gazing at her intently. "It matters to me," he said in a low voice, just the way he used to that made her feel like agreeing to everything he said. She sighed resignedly. "Okay. On my seventeenth birthday you and I-"

"Let's just say you get a little friendly," Xander interrupted. After Angel had left Sunnydale Xander had started to like him better, but this was the Angel from the time that he had the most hostility towards him. Angel quirked an eyebrow. "Friendly?"

No one said anything. It seemed like this was an essential moment, on which the very course of history was in the balance. Dawn sighed impatiently. "You have sex and lose your soul."

And Angel laughed.

Sunnydale, 1998… 

It was late, and no one had found a way back yet. Angel, Buffy, and Giles were the only ones awake. "Buffy," Angel said, interrupting the silence that had lasted for more than an hour. She glanced up at him. "Yeah?" He closed the book and moved a little closer to her. "This might be crazy, but what if we don't erase your memories? What if I leave and you keep the knowledge of what I told you. You could stop what happens on your birthday, or maybe even find a way to get around it, I don't know. Just something. I've been thinking while I was here, and as much as my life is okay, I know it can be better. Especially if you're still in it."

For a while Buffy didn't say anything. "Angel, duh! What do you think _I've_ been thinking about this whole time you've been here?" Angel grinned. Sunnydale, present times…

"Um, sorry, but I fail to see the funny," Xander said. Angel stopped laughing so he could reply. "Funny! Buffy, don't you see? We were doomed from the beginning. Why did we even bother? We must have known that this was-." He stopped his rant. "You know what? Just send me back." Everyone uneasily held hands again and Willow began the spell. A bright pillar of light appeared in the circle and everyone closed their eyes. Only one thing was going through their heads: _We forgot to erase his memory._

Sunnydale, 1998… 

Angel went rigid. "Angel? Angel!" Buffy began to shake him. Giles noticed what was happening and put a hand on her shoulder. "Buffy, I think our future counterparts have figured out the spell." Buffy looked up at the person she viewed as a father, her eyes shining. "So our Angel is coming back?" Giles nodded, trying to smile convincingly. The truth was, he really didn't know if that's what happened or not. Angel began to stir. When his eyes finally opened and saw Buffy inches away from him, he jerked back. Concern showed on her face. "Angel, what…?"

He looked afraid. "Just stay away from me!" He pushed past Buffy and ran out of the library. "What the hell was that?" Buffy exclaimed.

Angel went to his apartment (basement) by the Bronze and sat down on his bed. _What's wrong with me? I have a chance to fix everything, and what do I do? I run! _

Of course you ran, Angel. You're weak. 

_Shut up! I was just afraid. There's nothing wrong with that._

Nothing wrong? Of course there's something wrong! You are afraid to take a chance, and so you will spend the rest of **our** long life moping about what you missed out on! God! You are so pathetic! I mean, just because I hate the Slayer doesn't mean I wouldn't rather have you with her than brooding in a dark hole!

There was a knock on the door. Buffy's muffled voice came from the other side. "Angel?" He glanced up and sighed. "Come in."

Buffy came storming in looking like she meant business. "Angel. Why did you run? What was that?"

"They told me things in the future! Things that I can't let happen." Buffy rolled her eyes. "The future you told me." When Angel averted his eyes, Buffy continued. "The reason is so we can change it, make it better! Not run away."

"Are you sure it's worth it, Buffy? What if everything turns out the same? What if we can't…"

Buffy walked forward and put her hand over his mouth. "I don't care about what ifs. We have the chance _now_, so let's take it."

Angel smiled.

**The End**

New Author's Note: Some people pointed out how the previous ended kind of made everything pointless, and after long contemplation I decided that I agree. So, I wrote this (while watching Charmed). I hope you like it better. On another note, now that it's different, a sequel isn't out of the question…

11/6/05

**A/N: So, there it is! In the first "Sunnydale, 1998" part, the story Angel tells at the end is the episode "I Will Remember You" from the first season of Angel. If you haven't seen it, it's hard to explain. That's why I kind of didn't. Anyway, there is the end. I hope you like it, and I hope this chapter was long enough. I really enjoyed writing this story, and I'm glad so many of you liked it! Reviews are greatly appreciated. Until I write again, The Spooky Mulder**


End file.
